Continuous-muffle furnace.



UNITED STATES PATENT @MICEo WILLIAM DIOKEN, OF HANLEY, ENGLAND, ASSIGNOR TO WILLIAM WADE, OF LONGPORT, AND LEONARD LUMSDEN GRIMVADE, OF STOKE-UPON- TRENT, ENGLAND.

CONTINUOUS-MUFFLE rotatif/ACEa SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 647,811, dated April 17, loco.

Application iiled August l2, 1899. Serial No. 727,014. (No model.)

y To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM DI CKEN, a subject of the Queen of Great Britain, residing at Hanley, in the county of Stafford, England,

have invented new and useful Improvements in Continuous-Mufle Furnaces, of which the following is a specification.

This invention is for an improved continuous-Inuftle furnace or kiln for firing pottery-A Io ware and enameled iron; and it consists in constructing a circular kiln with an entirelyclosed muffie having an endless horizontal platform or turn-table therein upon which the goods to be fired are placed and which is ca- I 5 pable of beingr revolved in the muftle by-mechanism operated from the outside of the kiln, said kiln having only one opening where the goods to be fired are set in and taken out and with fiues arranged so that the iiames and 2o hot gases are carried for a portion of the circuit well around the muftle, but do not come in contact with the goods to be fired.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure lis a sectional plan of the improved kiln which forms the subject of this invention. Fig. 2 is a vertical section of the muiile in said kiln on line A A; and Fig. 3, a vertical section on line B B, drawn to an enlarged scale.

In the Views similar letters refer to similar 3o parts.

I construct a kiln with an entirely-closed circular muftle, as a., and with a single opening b for obtaining access to the mufiie. I place within said mufiie an endless platform 3 5 or turn-table constructed of cast-metal frames, -as c, forming segments of a circle and coupled, as at cx, sufficient play being allowed at the ends of said segmental frames for expansion and contraction, but when coupled forming 4o a complete circular table. The aforesaid table is carried on rollers, as e, which revolve on tram-plates g g', that are secured to the bottom of the muftle. The table when moved around is retained in position in the muttle by antifriction-rollers f, placed horizontally in wall-boxes f', that are fitted in the inner wall of the muftle. The table is moved around from the outside of the kiln by means of a horizontal shaft g, that is fitted in journals 5o and provided at the inner end with a pinionj to work in a rack Z, formed on or tted to the under side of the outer edge of the table c, and one or more toothed wheels on the outer end of said shaft which gear into a wheel or wheels iitted on a shaft that is provided with a handle for turning said wheels.

The re-hole is constructed on the opposite side of the kiln to that in which the opening for the goods to be set in or taken out is situated. The flues are arranged in proximity `to the fire-hole, extending to about one-third of the circuit on each side of and partly over and under the mule,`and are continued under the muile to the flue w. 'The fire-hole may be situated at any convenient part of the kiln, as at fu. The llames and hot gases pass from thence up two adjoining iiues on either side of the mufiie, as to' a2 and o o2, and along the top and under the Inutile to the next two iiues 11,3 co4 and U3 o4, alternately ascending and descending each succeeding two flues until finally passing by the flue into the chimneyz in the center of the kiln. Dampers are provided at suitable intervals to regulate the heat of the kiln.

In applying my invention I place the iron or clay boxes u (represented by dotted lines) containing the goods to be fired on the circular platform or turn-table c, hereinbeforedescribed, by passing said boxes through the opening b, the table being moved slowly around as each box is placed in the kiln. The entrance to the kiln is then closed by a sliding door, and the tu1ntable,with the ware, is moved around by means of the rack, pinion, and train of wheels previously described.

By these means the articles to be fired are gradually heated without coming in contact with the flames and after passing through the gr'eatest heat in the kiln are gradually cooled before being removed from the kiln, thereby preventing the cracking and denting of the pottery. The boxes are independent of each other in transit through the kiln and the muftle is entirely closed during the process of firing the ware.

I claim as my invention-.-

The combination in a continuous circular muffie furnace or kiln for ring pottery-ware and enameled iron, with a continuous circutoo , imity thereto for conducting the arnes vand lar muie havingy one opening where the goods to be fired are set inl or taken out, of, a

turn-tableorcircular platform constructed of' cast-metalfframesof a segmental circular formr mounted on rollers and'centrally coupled, with horizontal antifriction-rollers fitted in wall-boxes'and projecting within the muffie so as to bear against the inner circumference of the turn-table, means for revolving the turn-table from the outside of the muie, a fire-hole placed on the opposite side' of the kiln to that by which access to the muiie is obtained, duplicate flucs arranged in prox-` hot gases inl anl upward and downward 15' coursefrorn the fire-hole to' a flue or iues along over andunder the muiie for a portion of the circuit andpassing to a chimney withvout coming ,in contact with the' goods being 

